ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 13, 2021

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Press Conference

C. GARIN/F. Auger-Aliassime

7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. (Indiscernible).

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Yes, we get along very well. He's a very good person. It's a pleasure to play with him. I played a complete match today. We are going to stay together for the tournament.

Q. You started playing the match yesterday. The fact that you had to play the end of the match today, does it have something to do with the result?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: We'll never know. But coming back, I held my serve. I was at 6-5. I had opportunities, many opportunities, to win the set, and I didn't do it. After the first set, it was not a bad match, but it was frustrating.

In the second set things became more complicated. I don't believe making over two days made a difference because I had many opportunities.

Q. How can you explain the change in the rhythm in the middle of the match? What happened at 5-2? Did you talk about it with Toni?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: The conditions were different because yesterday was a rainy day. The ball was not bouncing so high. The conditions were slower. It was different. I can't say it was better or worse. Today was good for me, too. I was happy to see the sunshine and more normal conditions.

As I said before, I had some chances, some opportunities. It's never easy to come back in a match at 30-All in the middle of a game. But I was able to win that game, and I had the opportunity of winning the set. I didn't do it.

It was a frustrating match for me.

Now, as to my work with Toni and Fred, things are going well. We are working hard. Everybody is getting along very well. We have to continue that way. There's a lot of work to do. I have to improve. I have to do things better and better.

Q. I would like to talk about the association with Toni. How did you decide to work together? Why did you decide that? Did you feel at a certain moment you had to make a breakthrough in your game?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: In the last month of last year I was starting to think that there might be a possibility for me in the future to work with someone with a lot of experience at the highest level. We were lucky to be able to make contact with Toni. I'm very lucky to be able to learn from him and benefit from his experience and work with him.

Of course, there's a lot of work to do, but it's a good association and I'm very happy.

Q. What breakthrough do you want to make?

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: Well, I want to keep going, making progress. I'm top 20. I've been that for a bit more than a year, because of the COVID. I'm at a good level. Sometimes I feel like I'm playing well. Sometimes I don't play that well. But I want to keep improving. I want results.

It's one thing to feel I'm playing good, but the other thing is to have results, improve my ranking, be part of the Masters at the end of the year. This is the breakthrough I want to make. We'll see if I'm able to do it.

Q. I don't know if you were able to have a briefing with Toni after the match. If that is the case, my question is useless. I was wondering whether you were curious to see how he was working? Is he using stats? Is he talking about his feeling? If you didn't talk with him, how did you players react to Medvedev's retirement? What is happening is a bit disturbing.

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME: We didn't have time for a briefing with Toni yet. He said it was a pity, of course. The first set was almost won at 5-2. I was controlling the game. Two set points. There were other set points later. This is the only thing we were able to say to each other.

It's a pity I wasn't able to win the first set because it would have been a different match.

As to Medvedev, well, I hope he's okay. It's never easy to hear that kind of thing in the tournament. Again, I think we all have to be careful. We are in a protected environment, and we still have to be very cautious because the virus is not over.

I'm not panicking, of course, but I know we have to be careful.